Murder on the Orient Express

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Agatha Christie, Daisy Ridley, Derek Jacobi, Dunkirk, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Murder on the Orient Express, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Poirot, Willem Dafoe

From the novel by Agatha Christie, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh (Dunkirk, Wallander), Murder on the Orient Express follows Detective Poirot as he races to find a killer amongst 12 strangers aboard a stranded train.

Everyone has heard of Poirot – there have been various adaptions of Agatha Christie’s novels – and so this remake (for apparently there is an original film of the novel from 1974) was hugely anticipated. This was partly due to the incredible cast of actors involved, led by the great Kenneth Branagh who gives us his own unique portrayal of Poirot – complete with a ridiculous moustache! I can’t say I’ve ever really watched any of the other Poirot stuff but there has been a lot online about Branagh’s decision to change the moustache, and I have to admit it is very distracting! Branagh is known for his theatrical jobs and here we almost have a one man show for the film is entirely dominated by Poirot – I get that the film is about the detective but with such a great cast you’d think they would have shared out the airtime! Branagh does do a great job though, his portrayal gives us a character that is clearly very talented at solving mysteries, but we also see a sense of humour as well as a deep sadness for his lost love.

Alongside Branagh there is: Dame Judi Dench (James Bond, Philomena), Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissorhands), Michelle Pfeiffer (Dangerous Liasions, Scarface), Penélope Cruz (Pirates of the Caribbean, Zoolander 2), Derek Jacobi (Last Tango in Halifax, Gladiator), Willem Dafoe (Spider-man, Finding Nemo), Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, The Night Manager), Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast) and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars). As you can see a very impressive cast and all give excellent performances but unfortunately are dominated by Branagh. I definitely think they should have used this impressive cast to their advantage and instead of wasting a lot of time at the beginning following Poirot as he begins his journey, the film should have got straight into the action on the train and given us more from the rest of the cast.

Visually, Murder on the Orient Express, is fantastic. There are some stunning shots of the train moving through the snow covered mountains – all CGI of course – and the various camera angles used throughout helped to keep you guessing as to who the killer was. I particularly liked the scene when the body is found, it was shot from above so all you see is the tops of the heads of the cast and it moves along the carriage as the characters move.

Overall, Murder on the Orient Express is a good film with a great cast, but for me it was a little bit boring. It takes ages for the characters to even get on the train, and Branagh has so many long speeches that at times my mind would wander – mainly to stare at his ridiculous moustache, which is a huge distraction! It’s not a film that I would be fussed about seeing again to be honest which is not really something I should be saying when it has a cast as great as this one does! Maybe I’m just the wrong demographic for the film, but if you don’t like Kenneth Branagh then you really won’t like this!

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

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Alison Sudol, Colin Farrell, Dan Fogler, Eddie Redmayne, Fantastic Beasts, Gemma Chan, Harry Potter, J.K.Rowling, Johnny Depp, Jon Voight, Katherine Waterston, Newt Scamander

Its been five years since the last Harry Potter film was released and a huge part of many of my generation’s lives ended. So the announcement of a spin-off film brought much excitement, and a little trepidation! Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) – who is the author of one of the textbooks used during Harry’s time – and is set in 1926, 70 years before the events of the Harry Potter series. Newt has just completed a global excursion to find and document an array of magical creatures – leading to his eventual textbook – and has arrived in New York for one final mission. His time there would have gone seamlessly were it not for a suitcase mix-up with Jacob (Dan Fogler), a non-magical person (Muggle to us Potter geeks, though confusingly the Americans in this film refer to them as No-Maj’s). Jacob proceeds to accidentally release a load of Newts magical creatures and the two of them, along with Tina (Katherine Waterston) an American witch and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) attempt to find them before the magical world is exposed. Whilst this is happening another story line involving the mysterious deaths of witches and wizards is occurring. The two soon interlink and Newt must prove that his creatures are not the culprits.

Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl & The Theory of Everything – for which he won an Oscar) is absolutely perfect as Newt Scamander, I love him as an actor anyway so was very happy when he was revealed as the lead! The character of Newt is very passionate about all magical creatures and Eddie plays this brilliantly, you can really see the care and attention he gives to each one and his desperation to prove that rare/unknown creatures are not necessarily dangerous and therefore shouldn’t be harmed. Newt and Jacob are the perfect double-act giving moments of humour as well as more emotional scenes. Eddie and Dan work really well together, as do Dan and Alison (Queenie) who bring the romantic side of the film. In fact the whole cast is brilliant, and there are a few well known names too! Colin Farrell plays Graves, one of the wizards working against Newt and his creatures, and though disappointingly he doesn’t have his lovely Irish accent, he is excellent as one of the baddies. Jon Voight (Angelina Jolie’s Dad) has a small role, as does Johnny Depp – though his character will be followed more in the upcoming sequels – and Gemma Chan (Humans and Jack Whitehall’s girlfriend).

Overall, I was very worried that I wouldn’t like this film. I am a huge Potter geek and the thought of a film set in the same world but without all the characters we know and love was a little hard to stomach at first. However, I am pleased to say I absolutely loved Fantastic Beasts! Yes it was a little strange to hear all the same terminology but as it’s set in the 20s there is a different feel to the film – possibly due to that time’s fashion and the fact it’s set in New York and not England – and actually now that I think about it not a lot of magic is actually used! Eddie Redmayne gives a great performance, boosted by his brilliant supporting cast and the CGI throughout is fantastic. If you’re a fan of the Harry Potter films then this is a must see, and if you haven’t seen any (though I’m not sure such a person exists!) then you can still see Fantastic Beasts and not get confused, there are a few references to characters etc to link it to the other films but it’s very much a stand-alone story.

There’s something about the way J.K.Rowling writes, you are instantly transported into another (magical!) world. Everything from the dialogue to the casting to the costumes/settings is brilliantly done. It feels great to have the wizarding world back in our lives, and to learn about events and much loved characters lives leading up to the Potter series. It has been announced that Fantastic Beasts will be another franchise consisting of 5 films and I for one can’t wait for the next instalment!

(You can read my reviews of Eddie’s other films The Danish Girl and  The Theory of Everything here: The Danish Girl, The Theory of Everything)

Black Mass

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Adam Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton, Johnny Depp, Juno Temple, Kevin Bacon, Whitey Bulger

Black Mass follows the true story of Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp), the brother of a state senator (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf. Although the story is about Bulger the majority of the film is told through the FBI, in particular John Connelly (Joel Edgerton) who is heading the case against Bulger’s enemies but soon finds himself working too closely with Bulger and essentially becomes the reason that Bulger got away with so much for many years.

A few friends had seen this film before me and they raved about it – one even claiming they think it could be Johnny Depp’s best film yet! – but as these friends are guys, I was slightly worried that the film wouldn’t be quite as good for girls. Luckily I had nothing to worry about! Black Mass is a brilliant telling of criminal life in the 70s in South Boston. There are plenty of twists and turns as well as murders, drugs, gangsters and loyalties between friends.

Apparently Whitey Bulger is well known over in America but luckily for us Brits the film quickly introduces us to his character and it’s not long before we are swept up into his world. The story is told through Whitey’s employees who are being questioned by the police over their involvement in several of Whitey’s criminal acts. As they tell their side we go back in time to see how Whitey became the godfather of the Irish Mob in South Boston to then losing control and ending up on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List.

As well as Whitey’s criminal life we are shown his relationship with his mother and brother Billy – who has gone down a completely different path and is a state Senator. When Whitey’s criminal actions start to catch up with him their relationship is put to the test as Billy’s position means he cannot be seen to be involved with his brother in any way. Johnny Depp is sensational as Whitey Bulger, he really does give a brilliant performance throughout from the vulnerable side to the hardcore criminal mastermind. He is also unrecognisable in the role due to blue contacts, little hair and facial prosthetics. Frankly he looks a little creepy, and nothing like the lovely Johnny Depp we normally see! This takes a little getting used too but it helps make his character totally believable.

The rest of cast is made up of well known names from: Dakota Johnson, Juno Temple, Kevin Bacon and Adam Scott. All of which give really believable performances, Dakota in particular is great as Bulger’s girlfriend and mother of his son. Benedict too is of course his usual excellent self, though his American accent is a little strange to hear!

As a gangster film there is of course plenty of deaths but nothing is shown in an overly gruesome way. It’s all watch-able in other words! It is a little heavy going though, I was struggling a little to keep up with who was who and to keep on top of all the people Bulger had killed for various reasons. It’s not so bad that you lose your interest though, I found that it just made me more determined to concentrate on what was happening!

Overall Black Mass is a brilliant re-telling of Whitey Bulger’s criminal life. It is a film that will leave you talking as it is almost unbelievable how much Whitey managed to get away with thanks to the help of his friend in the FBI. The film ends with text informing us what happened to everyone involved with Whitey – and some of them are quite shocking!